Party operatives are pushing a constitutional amendment that would make Florida the first state in the South to legalize some pot use. The measure is particularly popular with young voters, a critical part of the Democratic coalition that has historically abandoned midterm elections. Democrats are hoping the issue repeats the spikes in youth turnout that coincided with marijuana measures in Washington and Colorado in 2012.

Florida could be a critical test case for whether those increases were an anomaly or the start of a trend in advance of the presidential election in 2016, when activists plan to launch legalization campaigns in at least six states.

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